


A Question of Care

by Curlew



Series: A Question of.... [2]
Category: Starsky and Hutch - Fandom
Genre: Episode: s03e08 The Plague, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:02:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23858038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Curlew/pseuds/Curlew
Summary: Follows on from my story A Question of Ethics, and will make more sense if you read that one first. Not compulsory though! Still working out my dissatisfaction with some aspects of this episode. I apologize for errors in medical procedure, but I am reassured that I can’t possibly be as clueless as the original scriptwriter. I have shamelessly borrowed a minor character from a writer who has not posted for many years-K Hanna Korossy-because I love him and felt he deserves a bigger role.
Series: A Question of.... [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726501
Kudos: 18





	A Question of Care

Jace closed the door quietly behind him, then leaned against the wall, exhaling a long breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. That had been a very tense few minutes, and while he had come out on top, as far as anyone could in this completely shitty situation, he was aware that he had some as yet unburnt bridges in urgent need of fireproofing. It was very unlikely that Dr Kauffman would take his full on assault lying down, and he wanted to make sure that Hutch was officially under his care before she recovered her equilibrium and her metaphorical flame thrower She could have all the assessments and blood samples she wanted- but he was damned if anyone, friend or not, was going to suffer more than they needed to on his watch.

He pushed off the wall, and headed towards his boss’s office, pausing to look into Hutch’s window as he went. The curtains were round the bed, and there was a trolley with clean linens and washing things, so at least the first part of his plan had worked. Nodding with satisfaction, he carried on his way.

An hour later, he was back. He had argued his case, and and won it, managing to fudge over Judith’s involvement, painting it as a manpower issue- Hutch’s care had ”simply slipped through the net” because of the “heavy workload” He, Jace, was “due a few day’s holiday” but “had no plans” and was “happy to take up a bit of the slack” By the time he finished he almost believed it himself.

He gowned up and quietly slipped into Hutch’s room. He was sleeping, propped up on pillows, his hair was clean and he had been shaved. He still looked appallingly ill, but the room smelled fresh, and it was obvious that someone was looking after him. A nurse was sitting by the bed and looked up at his entrance.

“Are you Dr Broadhurst? I’m Sara Miles- I’ve been told to stay with Mr Hutchinson for a few days”

“Great- has he been asleep long?”

“Not long.He found having a bath exhausting, but he said he felt better for it. Then Dr Kaufman came in for a blood sample, and he dozed off shortly after that. The fever and pain are still bad, though. She hesitated “Doctor, I don’t quite understand.......”

Jace cut her off. “I know - but it’s all sorted now. You go and take a break- I’ll page you when I need you”

He realized he had been too abrupt when she stiffened, then with a terse “Yes, Doctor” left the room, but it was too late to recall it. More bridges.....

With his characteristic shoulder squaring, he turned to the bed and looked at Hutch appraisingly. The pillows had eased his breathing a little, but he was sleeping restlessly, and after a few minutes, his eyes flickered open. 

“Hi. Jace here. How are you doing?”

The vivid blue eyes gazed round vaguely for a moment, then focused on his face.

“So it is. What are you doing here?”

“Personnel change. Judith’s concentrating on the research-I’ve taken over the doctoring. And the looking after, if you’re willing, with Starsky otherwise engaged”

A faint smile.

“Can I have some water, please?”

Jace held the cup for him, then bathed his face and hands again.

“Was Starsky here?” 

“Yes, first thing. He asked me to tell you”

“Tell me what?”

“No idea. Just to tell you. I assumed you’d know”

Again that ghost of a smile.

“Yeah, I know. How was he?”

“Tight as a banjo string. But focused. I gave him a Danish”

“Good. He does better on a full stomach. Had he slept?”

“I don’t know- but he’d had a shower”

“How do you know?”

Jace grinned. “Sandalwood, not sweat”

“Oh, yes. He’s having a really hard time”

Jace raised an eyebrow, taking in the frail, pain wracked figure in the bed, and Hutch managed his breath of laughter.

“We do that”

“I know you do”

Jace laid one hand on Hutch’s forehead, and took his wrist with the other. He didn’t need instruments to register the heat, and the stoic struggle to conceal the pain.

“Old fashioned country doctor, huh?”

“Bite that bullet any harder, cowboy, and your teeth’ll go clean through it”

Their eyes met, shared the brief moment of humour and Jace felt Hutch relax into his care. He pulled his stethoscope out of his pocket.

“Mind if I just listen to your chest real quick?”

“Be my guest. You’re lucky- sometimes there’s a queue”

Jace laughed, listened, didn’t like what he heard, then hauled a chair round so he could see Hutch’s face. He had obviously used all his available energy, and he was drooping wearily against the pillows.

“You up for talking?”

“Hurts”

“I know. Can you tell me what you know about what’s going on with you?”

A faint shrug.

“I lie here and shiver and burn. If Captain America out there comes up with the goods in time, and the medics do their thing, I have a chance. Otherwise it’s a very grim Goodnight Vienn......oh shit, oh shit........”

His body arched off the bed as the pain swept in again.

“Fuck, it hurts”

“Shh - don’t talk. Just breathe. Breathe with me”

Jace held the oxygen mask to his face, and coached him breath for breath. Eventually, Hutch took a shuddering sigh, and sank back against his pillows.

“Oh, boy. If this is just the beginning, the next three days are not going to be fun”

“We need to talk about that. You have decisions to make. But first, I’m going to do some things I’m not going to give you a choice about”

Jace stood up and unlocked the wall cabinet.

“I think you’re getting dehydrated, so I’m going to start you on some IV fluids. Then I’ll give you something for the pain, and for the fever. All that should make you feel a little better” a

That ghost of a smile.

“More fucking needles”

“Yep. More fucking needles. Don’t worry. I’m very good with fucking needles. And we need to keep an eye on output as well as input. But I’m very good at that too”

“No choice, huh?”

“No. The choice comes in a little while. Tough ones”

After 15 minutes that was considerably less stress-filled, painful and embarrassing than he had expected, Hutch was settled back against the pillows again, IV and catheter in place, and a dose of painkiller making itself noticed in his bloodstream. Jace had found a fan and put a cold compress on his forehead and the cool air was soothing, but he was so bone weary he wasn’t sure he could stay awake.

“Shut your eyes for 20 minutes. Then we’ll talk”

“Because you reckon that’s the last chance I’m going to get?”

“I didn’t say that. Rest a while - you need to conserve your energy”

Whether it was the fluids, the painkillers, or Jace’s presence, after the required 20 minutes, he actually thought he might be able to maintain a semblance of coherent conversation. He was about to say something, when Jace said

“Right. You’re in a really crap place, and we need to decide how to manage it. Best case - Starsky finds Callendar, the lab guys find the antibodies, you get them in time, they work and you’re out of here. Worst case, he doesn’t”

“And I’m dead in 3 days. Not sure where the choices come in”

“It’s the 3 days. The pain’s been pretty fierce, hasn’t it? It’s going to get a lot worse. Like - a lot worse. And I can’t give you much for it without it having a really bad effect on your breathing. I can probably stop the pain completely.....”

“But that means I’ll die sooner. You’re asking me whether i want to have pain relief that’ll kill me before the virus does”

“Bottom line- yes”

“Then no.”

“We need to talk......”

“No we don’t. I want you to do whatever it takes to keep me alive as long as possible”

“Even if....."

“Even if nothing. I don’t want pain, but I don’t want Starsky to live on knowing that I chose not to hang around long enough to let him save me. Understand?”

“OK. You can change your mind.......” 

“No I can’t. I want you to promise not to let me. I’ll sign something if you want me to. It might be 3 hellish days for me, but I can do that. It’d be years of hell for Starsky if I don’t. You really need to understand that - he’s not going to give up so neither am I” His voice rose in his need to get his message across, and Jace hastened to calm him.

“OK. I understand. Just so long as you know it’s going to be a really rough ride, however it goes”

“Yeah. It’s not a barrel of laughs now”

The two men looked at each other. Jace reached out and took Hutch’s hands in his.

“Whatever happens, you won’t be on your own. I promise. I’ll be with you every step of the way”

“Until that last one, huh? And then - you’ll be with Starsky?”

For a split second, Jace hesitated. Here was a duty of care he hadn’t anticipated, and the thought of that towering grief was daunting. Then, he nodded. 

“I promise”

Satisfied, Hutch closed his eyes. For half an hour, Jace watched as he drifted between sleep and wakefulness, then his eyes opened.

“Jace....”

“Right here”

“I feel...I feel as if I’m not going to be able to make sense much longer- my brain’s kinda foggy. When you see Starsk, can you tell him......”

“What do you want me to tell him?”

“Just.... tell him”

His eyes fluttered closed and his hands went to his chest. Jace reached for the oxygen mask.


End file.
